Centrifugal liquid-testing device.



J. BOEKEL. 1

CENTRIFUGAL LIQUID TESTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION IILIID MAY 25, 1911.

1,001,61 1 Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

Fig.3-? 135 6 WITNESSES INVENTOR a 9W2; 6M

\ 59% MMW Noun/mu 601. WASHINGTON c1 tll l't t lil" JULIUS BOEKEL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CENTRIFUGAL LIQUID-TESTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Iatented Aug. 29, 191.1.

Application filed May 25, 1911. Serial No. 62 350.

0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jul/ins liouunn, a citizen of the United States. residing at Philadelphia. in the county of lhilmlelphia and State 0t Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Centrifugal l iiquid lcsling Devices. of which the 'liollowing is a. specilimttion.

This invention relates to centrifugal liquid testing devices provided with pivotally suspended receptacles or tubes closed at the'lower or outer end.

It has been usual to set each test tube into an aluminum jacket. which. like it. has the form ot a glove linger, such jacket having a rim that rests on a ring pivoted to said frame. The lower end oi? the jacket and that at the tube will often break under the strain of violent ri'italion, thtufe being no support below or beyond the said ring.

The chief objects of this invention are first to protect the lower end or tip ol the jacket and that o i the test tube within it, both by supplying an exterior casing For this part and supporting the suspended jacket and tube trom below instead of making the attachment at their upper ends: and secondly to 'lacilil'ate the attachment and detachment of the jacket and tube. also ol' the ring and supporting frame.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and coml'iination of devices hereilmt'ter more pmfticularly set 'l'orth and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings: Figure l represents a side elev: tion of a liquid-testing device en'ibodying my invention, the position of the tubes during rotation being shown in dotted lines; Fig. 2. a plan view of the same; Fig. 3, a detail elevation at right angles to Fig. 1 ot the proximate hal l. of the device; and Figs. 1: and 5, detail plan and side views of one of the rings.

Any suitable power, not shown, may drive directly or indirectly. the rotary supporting shaft 1. which tits and engages at t5 the hub 2 of a flat horizontal plate traine or spider 3, carried around therewith and having outwardly extending g' pairs 0t arms 4, which are twisted at rigl'it angles for strength as shown. A flat ring 5 is pivoted between each pair of arms and provided with a pair of raised lugs (3 having circular holes 7, which register with similar holes 8 of the proximate pair of arms 4. A depending wire frame 9 of resilient metal and long U-shape has its upper ends 10 bent outward to pass through said holes 7 and 8, becoming the journals or pivots at said ring and Frame. with bearings in the latter holes and also the means ot attaching said ring and wire l'rame to said main horizontal lrame J). This wire 'l'rame J is an elongated U-shapcd spring lending to expand and is separated at will 'l'rom l rame l) by com pressing said upper ends; also from ring by a slightly greater compression. The ends It) are inclined slightly downward from a horizontal plane as shown. to allow tor the change ol their angle incident to such compression of the body oi the spring or wire frame 5) and thereby facilitate their withdrawal From holes 7 and S and their passage outward through the same in again assembling the parts. which )peralion ol course the reverse ol' that oil separating them. also to increase their resistance to strain while the device is in operation.

ltound wire is preferably used for lrame 9 as shown; and the ends 10 at least should be ol that term to turn without undue triction in the round bearing holes 8. The curved lower end at said suspension frame S) has a thimble ll HOltlti'ttl or otln rwise lixed within it. which receives the lower end oi the aluminum jacket 12 oi the testing tube or liquid receptacle 1 both these last mentioned parts being a] proximatcly in the term ot a glove linger and nested together. lhe v are wholly supported by said thimble, though the vertical parts of the wire Frame 5) more or less brace and protect the sides at said jacket. Flai l vertical parts near their upper ends snap out into rounded notches l-t in the inner time of the ring 5 at the middle points ot the bases ot lugs (3. This engagement constitutes an additional gi'iard against the independent movement of either one ol. said parts 5 and 9 and also makes them brace each other. \Vhen said ring and wire frame l) are lclt eu gaged together. although sc uiraled from the main horizontal l'ramc 23, the upright parts oi frame 9 are held in the same vertical plane. The jacket '12 extends at the top consii lcrablv above the ring "For convenience in lil'ting the test tube out witlu'mt disturbance ot any other part ol the mechanisn'i. lly this construction all strain on the upper end of the jacket is avoided. also the very great strain which the liquid would make on the lower end of the tube and jacket by lit) its centrifugal tendency during violent rotation, if there were no reinforcement of the threatened part. As the thimble ll snugly fits the tapering lower end or tip of the said jacket, the latter and the corresponding part of the tube within it are securely braced and incased and the centrifugal strain is received by said thimble and transmitted thence to the ring 5 and fiat frame 3, the tube and its jacket being merely carried as in a sling or stirrup and effectually freed from strain and danger. The ring '5 protects and braces the upper part of said jacket which it surrounds and holds said jacket and tube in axial alinement with the center of said ring whether their position be vertical, horizontal or at any intermediate angle, according to the amount of centrifugal force applied.

The general operation of the device in separating the constituents of the liquid by centrifugal action is like that of all its kind, the test-tubes or receptables being whirled with great rapidity and flying out into the horizontal position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, while the contents of each tube or receptacle automatically arrange themselves in the order of the gravity, the heavier substances being in the tip of the tube or receptacle and the lightest near its open upper end. hen the rotary movement lessens the tubes gradually descend to the vertical position shown in full lines in Fig. l and may then be easily removed as stated. Each tube or receptacle is easily slipped out of its jacket for inspection and returned again to the same. The pivots 10 readily permit such automatic adjustment of position besides also providing means for readily attaching and detaching the means whereby the tube is sus pended, said means supplying support only under its bottom. The ring 5 and the wire frame 9 may be very easily separated from each other and from frame 3 by a single slight squeezing movement of the operators 1 thumb and forefinger applied to the upper part of said wire frame and spring; spected, cleaned or repaired and then as easily restored to their normal position of attachment. These devices are largely used.

in analyzing urine, but may equally well be applied to milk, water or any other liquid, if only physical separation of constituents by centrifugal action and in accordance with relative gravity be required. As shown there are but two tubes with the same number of jackets,rings, wire suspending frames, thimbles and pairs of arms of the main frame or spider: but of course these may be varied in number according to convenience.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a rotary part, a

liquid receptacle, a jacket therefor and means pivoted to said part suspending said jacket and receptacle by support applied under its bottom.

2. In combination with a rotary part, a glass test-tube with closed lower end for holding liquid, a protective jacket fitting on said tube, and means pivoted to said part exterior to said jacket suspending said jacket and tube by support applied under its bottom.

3. In combination with a rotary part, a tube or liquid receptacle and its acket and suspending means pivoted to said part comprising a thimble which fits the lower end of said acket in order that said acket and tube may be supported from below.

4C. Centrifugal testing mechanism adapted to support the jackets containing the liquid receptacles from the lower ends only of said jackets.

5. A rotary frame provided with a pair of arms, in combination with a ring pivoted in said arms, a liquid receptacle and acket surrounded by said ring and a normally depending frame moving with said ring and passing down under said jacket to support the same and said receptacle from the bottom only.

6. A rotary part, in combination with a ring pivoted thereto and carried thereby, a depending frame moving with said ring and provided with a thimble or casing in its lower part, a glass tube and a acket which fits at the lower end into said thimble and holds said tube.

7. In combination, a rotary part, a ring pivoted thereto and carried thereby, a depending frame pivoted to said part engaging said ring to move therewith and provided with a thimble at its lower end and a liquid receptacle and jacket fitted at the lower end into said thimble and surrounded by said ring.

8. A rotary frame provided with pairs of arms having bearing holes formed therein, rings fitting between said pairs of arms, depending frames provided with pivots journaled in said bearing holes and connecting said rings thereto and liquid receptacles surrounded near their upper ends by said rings and supported at their lower ends by said depending frames.

9. A rotary part having a pair of bearing holes, in combination with a ring having holes registering therewith, a depending frame having its upper ends provided with outwardly presented pivots adapted to pass through said holes of the ring and into said bearing holes, a thimble carried by the bent lower part of said depending frame and a liquid receptacle freely held in said ring and thimble and removable therefrom.

10. A rotary part having a pair of bearing holes, in combination with a ring having holes that register therewith. a depending U-shaped wire ttrame ha ving its upper ends bent outward to form pivots received in said "holes of the ring and said rotary part and a liquid reeeptaele surrounded near its upper end by said ring and supported at its lower end by the bent part of said spring.

11. A rotary part having a pair of hearing hole. in combination with a ring having holes registering therewith, a depending frame having its upper ends provided with pivots presented outward to enter said holes but inclining slightly down and to eompensate for the ehange of angle due to compressing the spring and a reeeptaele resting freely in said ring and depending frame and supported by the latter and at its lower end only.

A rotary part having a pair of bearing holes, in combination with a ring having holes registering therewith and a pair of note-hes at opposite points of its lower 'taee, a resilient .t'rame provided with outwardly presented pivots and a liquid receptacle suspended trom under its bottom by said frame and surrounded by said ring, the resilieney of said frame serving to force its pivots into said holes and the vertical parts of said frame into said notches.

13. A rotary frame provided with pairs of arms having bearing holes in combination with rings, each of which tits between a pair of saidarms and has holes registering with said bea ring holes, a depending resilient U shaped 'trame having at its upper ends pivots adapted to enter said holes and (onneet said depending frame, said ring and said rotary 'trame dehmhably together while eonstituting also pivots tor said rings and depending Frames and liquid reeeptaeles and their jaeltets resting 'treely at their bottoms in said thimbles and treely surrounded by said rings substantially as set torth.

It. A rotary lrame provided with a series o'l pairs o't bearing holes, in eombination with a series of rings, a series ot depending spring l rames attaehed resptaztively to said rings and pivoted in said bearing holes at their upper ends amt a series of liquid reeeptaeles earried by said depending itrames surrounded by said rings and supported at their bottoms only.

15. rotary devire, in eombination with lneans ol SllpPUl'tl pivotally depending therefrom and a thimble attaehed to said means and adapted to tit under and around the lower end ot a reeeptaele for support ing the same from below.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this speeifieation in the presenee of two subseribing witnesses.

JULIUS BOICKICL.

\Vi tnesses:

'loux ll. Sonnnnn,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). 0. 

